What would the price of such an item be? Would glasses be imported? Who made them first?
The cost would, I imagine, be fairly high... at least a few hundred gold if you were going for high-quality lenses. I'd think they'd have to be imported, since lense-quality glass (not just any old sand will do, so to speak) should be a fairly rare commodity, and probably even rarer skill to be able to make it. I'd imagine the skill first came from Lantan, they'd seem the most likely original source to me, or a similar place with a heavy Gondar presence.
From what I recall, they were around 150 gold in the 2e era. Who knows what FR inflation has raised things to though.
There are enough references to spectacles and eyeglasses to indicate that their crafting in urban centres is fairly widespread; they're given as 5-10 gp/pair in the FR1 Waterdeep and the North/City of Splendors price guide. I don't know who made them first, but Ed has said that "I think the majority (and the best) of spectacles, magnifying glasses, spyglasses, and other devices involving glass lenses in the Realms are made by gnomes."
5-10 gold? No way!
Something is wrong here.
Destroying Toril 30 minutes at a time.
That does seem far too cheap considering how difficult it actually is to grind a decent lense for them...
Seems so.
8 GP - case closed.
case closed.
Until someone comes along with a new source that reveals information divergent from your own.
Because they are mine. :P
Not so - my sources are ALWAYS superior to everyone elses.
Because they are mine. :P
Now thats how you win arguments;)
Not so - my sources are ALWAYS superior to everyone elses.
Because they are mine. :P
Not quite.
Anyway, I still remember playing a wizard/sage that was sixty-some years old. I wanted some bifocals to help create the part. Cost me close to 200 gold.
Perhaps it was just my DM. Maybe the cost of trade. But it definitely wasn't under 10 gold.
What edition is your excerpt from?
However, it most likely came out in 2e - there wasn't a lot of stuff made for 1e FR, an it sure as hell ain't 3e.
Because it's Aurora's catalogue, it has no edition on it... it should be good in any edition (it has no rules in it, just fluff).
We just made a 100 year jump. Your "fluff" is now out of date.
NOT the Misbegotten Realms...
My bad. :embarrass
You'll just have to deal.
It really isn't that hard to make glasses that can correct hyperopia (farsightedness) and presbyopia, as you then need convex lenses. You simply need a way to let molten glass harden in a more or less bean-like shape (the word lenses itself comes from the latin for lentils) with the right curve. Reading glasses have been around since as early as the 1200's. It doesn't really matter if it's not your prescription: you'll just wear them closer to your eyes or farther along the nose to compensate. Nowadays, you can find no-prescription reading glasses for about $5 in any drugstore. In the Realms, they may or may not come from the gnomes, but any major town is likely to have at least a lenscrafter or two able to make them. More than a few FR pictures have shown scholar types with glasses over the years.
Myopia (nearsightedness) glasses, on the other hand, are far more complicated to make, as they need to have concave lenses, and have only been invented in the mid 1400's. They're quite certainly around in 1300's Faerûn, though, since the spyglass is available since at least that long. In our world, the first telescopes (of which a spyglass is just a handheld version) were made in 1608 by spectacle makers, using both a convex and a concave lens. However, given that a 3.5 spyglass costs a whopping 1,000 gp, it'd be fair to price a pair of myopia glasses at somewhere around 200 gp. And unlike the more common farsightedness glasses, you might have to travel a fair amount to find someone who can make you a pair.
Gnomes opticiens are the best. They might have had considerable time to experiment with lenses. Might explain why they double as illusionists half of the time. They might have invented sunglasses with various colortints aswell.
I like to think FR's spyglass is a human innovation though. Humans are the most seagoing race of all demihumans and its (status) symbol is quite effective in most games. Spyglasses always manage to play shiny prop roles especially in swashbuckling games.
Gnomes opticiens are the best. They might have had considerable time to experiment with lenses. Might explain why they double as illusionists half of the time. They might have invented sunglasses with various colortints aswell.
There you have it. The truth has come out. Gnome illusionists are not spellcasters at all but instead use elaborate arrays of lights, mirrors, lenses, and sometimes small burrowing animals, to create impressive holograms and illusions. It all makes sense now.
My Gnomes have had Yiddish accents since the '70's. :D
They are the 'bankers' that back all the big trade consortiums (I even have a Gnomish 'Gringots', stolen from Harry Potter in my waterdeep).
I sort-of combined them with the HP Goblins and the Gomes from Arcanum as well (Gnomes in that game took human trophy-wives).
Yes! They had Shiksas! :P
These are Potter' Goblins, just so you know where I'm coming from -
